Teenagers and Pirates
by TheCocaineDiaries
Summary: At this moment, Connor and Cheng Li were simply two teenagers. That was a true intermission from life; when it was only the sight of the ocean before you to remind you that you were a pirate. Cheng Li x Connor.
1. Intermission

As Connor becomes more acquainted to his life on _The Diablo_, he starts to realize how heavy his eyelids become and how he seems to pass out as soon as his head hits the pillow. He beings to realize just how true Bartholomew's words were, and the lumpy mattress beneath his exhausted body feels as welcoming as silk sheets and a bed of clouds. He realizes that in a blink of an eye, a week has gone by, then two, then three. He loves his new life as a pirate, but also starts to long for some sort of break, an intermission. Just a short one, that's all.

That was the inspiration that miraculously caused him to wake up some time earlier than the rest of the crew and, upon being unable to fall asleep, to rise from his bed and splash water on his face; Now he was fully awake. He breathed a contented sigh as he realized that _this_ would be his intermission. He suddenly felt full of energy and quickly crept his way around the slumbering pirates in their beds and on the floor.

Early morning sunshine temporarily blinded him, and as he blinked back his vision, he smiled as he saw that he was truly alone on the deck of _The Diablo_. He couldn't remember the last time he had been alone since he first boarded the ship and became a pirate.

He gazed out and looked into the depths of the icy water, a chill running down his spine. He wondered if he would ever get over his fear of the water which he had never felt until he nearly lost both his and his twin sister's life to the angry ocean months ago. He shuddered and looked away.

"This is an odd place for you to be, boy," someone said as they approached Connor. He turned his head and saw that it was Cheng Li. "I thought you'd still be asleep at this hour."

"Don't call me boy," Connor said with a smile. "You're hardly older than myself."

"Aye, but I am older," she replied, looking out into the same waters Connor had been a moment ago. Unlike his scared and frightful expression, she stared at it with confidence and determination. "So I can call you that."

"But I'm taller," Connor said with a grin.

"You are not," Cheng Li said, removing her eyes from the ocean and glancing at him.

"I am," he insisted, taking a step toward her. He raised his hand to their foreheads to measure. "See? So perhaps I can call you 'girl' from now on?"

Cheng Li swatted his hand away. "Only if you wish to be thrown overboard," she replied. Her voice had its usual brutality, but her face was gentle, so Connor knew all was well.

"Well, I certainly don't want that to happen," he said merrily.

She leaned against the edge of the ship. "You like it here on _The Diablo_, don't you?" she said, looking into the ocean again.

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'm glad you rescued me."

She turned slightly to him. Connor wasn't sure, but he thought he might have seen a faint trace of a smile on her lips. He joined her as she stared into the water. He wondered if she was secretly scared of it, too. The sun had almost completely risen, and Connor knew the rest of the crew would be getting up soon. He felt content with his little intermission to his new life's duty as a pirate, because at this moment, he and Cheng Li were simply two teenagers, although she seemed like a much older and mature person sometimes. That was a true intermission from life; when it was only the sight of the ocean before you to remind you that you were a bloodthirsty pirate.

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A/N: This is the first installment of a series of oneshots I'm writing for the Cheng Li/Connor couple. These oneshots will tell connect and tell a story and there will be a prompt for each chapter from the 30 Heartbeats challenge at LiveJournal. The prompt for this one was "Intermission". The next one will be "Breathe Again". I can't believe no one has written fanfiction for this couple before! I thought they were so good together from the first book!


	2. Breathe Again

Nightmares were a common thing for Connor as he lived on The Diablo. When he had first arrived, these terrible dreams ranged from visions of his dead father to his long lost sister. Yet now even as Grace slept soundly in the next cabin, the nightmares would not cease.

"Goodnight, Bart," Connor yawned as he climbed into his bunk one night.

"G'night, lad," he replied muzzily. "Hope you get a good nights sleep tonight… last night you didn't sound like you rested much."

Connor, who had been lying back on his bed with his arms folded under his head, opened his eyes. "What do you mean?"

He heard Bart roll over in his bed on the floor before answering, "You sounded like you were having a bad dream, screamin' and cryin' and all that."

Connor felt his face become hot with embarrassment. "Oh, really… maybe I was having a nightmare about having to mop the deck again tomorrow, heh," he replied shakily. He heard Bart's snoring and sighed to himself as he closed his eyes and prepared himself for another rough night.

Connor felt the all-too-familiar icy coldness close over him like a fist, and he immediately knew he was in the ocean. He cried out at the painful temperature and tasted salt as his lungs filled with water. He coughed and fought against the force of the ocean that dragged him further from the surface.

'A gentle death' was what everyone called drowning. They all didn't know how wrong they were, Connor thought as he struggled. His body kept fighting to find oxygen even though his mind knew it was a hopeless case; he was not strong enough to fight the force of the sea. It seemed like light-headedness would not bless him with its presence as he continued to suffer, wishing for death to hurry up and take him. He wish he could have taken just one final breath of air which he knew would be his last.

Nothing happened suddenly in the ocean, so in slow-motion he felt someone firmly tug at his arm and pull him to the surface. He barely noticed what was happening until he opened his mouth and spit out water.

"Just lie there and breathe as best you can. You're half-drowned, but you'll live."

Connor looked up to meet a pair of dark almond-shaped eyes and took his first breath.

He awoke with a start in his bed and realized he had been having another nightmare. He sat up with his head in his hands and reflected upon the dream. His dad had always told him that dreams mirrored what he was feeling; so what did this one mean?

He shook his head and smiled. All he knew was that once he saw Cheng Li, he could breathe again.

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A/N: This chapter was inspired by the prompt "Breathe Again" from the 30 Heartbeats challenge at LiveJournal. The next prompt will be "Memories."

Btw, in case it isn't obvious, the story is currently taking place between books 1 and 2.


	3. No Time

"Silence":

Connor was eager to talk to Cheng Li after his dream of her the previous night. He hadn't been able to sleep after he woke up from the dream, so as soon as the sun was risen, he leaped out of bed and mimicked his actions from yesterday's morning, getting up on the deck before the rest of the crew. He hoped the day would repeat itself and he would run into Cheng Li again.

He blinked away the bright sunlight, a sliver of night still shining in the corner of the sky. He looked around in all directions, but did not see the raven-haired pirate. He decided to walk around the deck, and with its hugeness it took quite a few minutes, yet when he was sure he had strolled past every inch, he still hadn't found Cheng Li.

Connor, feeling dejected, leaned against the beam of the ship. He relaxed for a few minutes before jumping, startled by a sharp whistle and a firm voice that shouted for the crew to wake up.

"Cheng Li!" Connor exclaimed as he saw the stern Deputy Captain strutting out along the other side of the deck.

Connor saw her glance toward him in acknowledgement before continuing away. He decided to follow her, jogging to catch up with her. "Cheng Li," he repeated, "What's up? I've been looking for you."

"What for?" she replied in a hard voice.

Connor blinked. Maybe she was angry. Suddenly the words on his lips felt silly. "I-I… well, I had a dream last night. And I kind of wanted to talk about it with someone."

"Sorry, Connor, but I've got no time. I'm sure your friends will be happy to discuss this dream with you."

Connor's face fell. "Okay… well, maybe later we can…"

"Speaking of which, your new swords instructor, Cutlass Cate, has been looking for you. You should go find her. You don't want to be late for your lesson if you ever hope to catch up to me in terms of fighting skills."

Connor cocked his eyebrow, unsure of whether she was being playful or honest. "Okay… well, then, I guess I'd better go."

"Yes, you'd better."

Connor stopped walking and let her strut past him, the twin swords on her back jostling violently at her brisk walking. He looked after her for a moment before frowning and turning in the other direction.

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A/N: Sorry, the prompt for this chapter is actually "No Time". :). Please review!


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